Who was a secretary for inventor Thomas...

ART SATHERLEY, 96,

February 12, 1986

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CALIF. — ART SATHERLEY, 96, who was a secretary for inventor Thomas Edison before registering his own patents to become a pioneer in the record industry and country music world, died Monday.

Satherley, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, recruited several legendary singing talents, including Gene Autry, Tex Ritter and Roy Rogers.

It was through Edison, who invented the incandescent lamp and the phonograph, that Satherley became involved in the early devolopment of the recording industry and eventually patented some of the disc materials used in the first recording blanks.

He later became a talent scout and was the first person to sign and record Autry. He was instrumental in the ''Singing Cowboy's'' movie career.

Other performers rounded up by Satherley included Roy Acuff, the original Carter family, little Jimmy Dickens, Red Foley, Leftie Frizzell, Bill Monroe, Marty Robbins and the Sons of the Pioneers.

Satherley was vice president of Columbia Records when he retired in 1952.